1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the delivery of media content, and in particular, to a method, apparatus, system, article of manufacture, and user interface for the digital distribution of all marketing assets, low-resolution screeners, and broadcast quality video.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many types and pieces of information or media content may be utilized as part of the broadcast, advertisement, and sale of such content. Content from various studios (e.g., FOX™) may include:                Over 2,500 Feature Films; over 14,000 Television Series, Seasons and Episodes; and over 1,000 Specials, Movies of the Week and MiniSeries;        Over 100,000 images: Production Stills, Logos, Artwork, Gallery and Episodic Photos;        Over 12,000 Scripts and over 10,000 Music Cue Sheets;        Over 7,300 trailers and other promotional videos;        Over 2,500 episodes for screening;        Over 9,300 broadcast quality files, representing over 700 episodes; and        Over 1,000 broadcast quality promotional videos (Television spots, etc.).        
Today's physical media-based distribution model is inefficient and subject to challenges including import-export delays, courier, flight or customs problems. In addition, the reliance on fuel-based logistics during product shipping is counter to television distribution and its licensees' carbon neutral operational goals. Finally, physical media-based distribution is expensive with dependencies on manufacturing, shipping and physical media management. For a better understanding of these problems a description of prior art media distribution models is useful.
Prior art techniques used to fulfill its customer's requests for advertising and publicity materials required the physical distribution of such materials on physical paper—e.g., slides and transparencies, ad-slicks (camera-ready advertisements of varying sizes that are used in print media such as newspapers and magazines), scripts and music cue sheets. Slides would be duplicated at a photo lab and scripts would be photocopied. The materials would then be boxed up and shipped out to customers such as international broadcasters. These boxes would often get held up at customs, or the materials would be misplaced by the customer—adding to the expense of both time and money.
To overcome some of the prior art problems, digital processes have been reshaping all aspects of the broadcast television industry. Product is now regularly digitally recorded, edited and distributed to audiences via server-based play out. This evolution may naturally extend to the content supply chain and distributor relationships whereby physical media and shipping will soon become obsolete means for content delivery. In this regard, websites have been developed where customers were able to download advertising and publicity materials needed whenever (and as often) as necessary. Instead of slides, customers downloaded JPGs; instead of paper scripts, downloadable PDFs were available. Written information like synopses, cast and crew biographies, awards, and press quotes were also available on such web sites (e.g., FOXFAST™).
Security mechanisms may also exist on such prior art web sites. Such security mechanisms included password-protection that was tied into a studio's television distribution sales system so customers were only given access to materials for the television series and films that the customer currently licensed from the particular studio. However, such a limited system would not allow the customer to view all of the assets available for the customer to license. In this regard, a television distribution sales group is continuously selling titles from a studio's entire catalog, and since customers can only see titles they already licensed in prior art websites, the need for an overall comprehensive catalog site was desirable.
To overcome such problems, a non-password protected catalog website was developed in the prior art to showcase all titles (e.g., features, television series, specials, movies of the week, mini-series, etc.) available from a particular entity. Such a prior art website provided the ability to search assets using a variety of criteria including actor, award, box office, genre, and synopsis key words (e.g. all titles about “baseball”).
In addition to the above websites, a further website was developed in the prior art to allow customers to screen television shows and movies without waiting for a digital video disc (DVD) (and saving the costs of burning and shipping such discs as well). Such screening was viewed as a desirable pre-sales tool. Digital rights management (DRM) was used in such prior art websites to protect the content from unauthorized viewing and piracy.
However, for a media content owner to efficiently and easily deliver pre-sales and sold content to a customer while allowing a customer to easily and efficiently browse all content and receive such content was not provided by the above prior art systems. Instead, customers were forced to utilize multiple websites for different purposes and media content owners did not have the flexibility to easily manage, sample, and deliver such content to both prospective and actual customers. In addition, prior art systems failed to provide the ability to digitally deliver broadcast quality digital files. Instead the prior art required the duplication of a tape and the shipping of the tape overseas.
Thus, the prior art had many problems and deficiencies including:                massive distribution costs to create and ship tapes;        recurring and substantial sunk costs caused by the cost to manage physical media;        product that can leak to the internet prior to a local market telecast;        content leaks that can impact the perceived value of a product;        accelerated demand to ship, schedule, and broadcast programs internationally on the heels of U.S. broadcasts; and        greater attention to physically manage higher content volumes against increasingly intense deadlines based on the accelerated demand to air products.        
Accordingly, what is needed is an online digital delivery system using a singular comprehensive easy-to-use website that provides the capability to: search a media content owner's film and television series catalog; access and download marketing and publicity assets; screen movies, episodes, and promotional videos; and deliver broadcast quality digital files. Thus, rather than duplicating a tape and shipping it overseas, it is desirable to provide a customer with the ability to download a file and broadcast the file directly out to their viewers. Further, it is desirable to quickly transition from physical tape delivery to digital delivery for both television series and feature films.